This invention relates generally to wellbore casings, and in particular to wellbore casings that are formed using expandable tubing.
Conventionally, when a wellbore is created, a number of casings are installed in the borehole to prevent collapse of the borehole wall and to prevent undesired outflow of drilling fluid into the formation or inflow of fluid from the formation into the borehole. The borehole is drilled in intervals whereby a casing which is to be installed in a lower borehole interval is lowered through a previously installed casing of an upper borehole interval. As a consequence of this procedure the casing of the lower interval is of smaller diameter than the casing of the upper interval. Thus, the casings are in a nested arrangement with casing diameters decreasing in downward direction. Cement annuli are provided between the outer surfaces of the casings and the borehole wall to seal the casings from the borehole wall. As a consequence of this nested arrangement a relatively large borehole diameter is required at the upper part of the wellbore. Such a large borehole diameter involves increased costs due to heavy casing handling equipment, large drill bits and increased volumes of drilling fluid and drill cuttings. Moreover, increased drilling rig time is involved due to required cement pumping, cement hardening, required equipment changes due to large variations in hole diameters drilled in the course of the well, and the large volume of cuttings drilled and removed.
Conventionally, at the surface end of the wellbore, a wellhead is formed that typically includes a surface casing, a number of production and/or drilling spools, valving, and a Christmas tree. Typically the wellhead further includes a concentric arrangement of casings including a production casing and one or more intermediate casings. The casings are typically supported using load bearing slips positioned above the ground. The conventional design and construction of wellheads is expensive and complex.
Conventionally, a wellbore casing cannot be formed during the drilling of a wellbore. Typically, the wellbore is drilled and then a wellbore casing is formed in the newly drilled section of the wellbore. This delays the completion of a well.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations of the existing procedures for forming wellbores and wellheads.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a wellbore casing is provided that includes installing a tubular liner and a mandrel in the borehole, injecting fluidic material into the borehole, and radially expanding the liner in the borehole by extruding the liner off of the mandrel.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a wellbore casing is provided that includes drilling out a new section of the borehole adjacent to the already existing casing. A tubular liner and a mandrel are then placed into the new section of the borehole with the tubular liner overlapping an already existing casing. A hardenable fluidic sealing material is injected into an annular region between the tubular liner and the new section of the borehole. The annular region between the tubular liner and the new section of the borehole is then fluidicly isolated from an interior region of the tubular liner below the mandrel. A non hardenable fluidic material is then injected into the interior region of the tubular liner below the mandrel. The tubular liner is extruded off of the mandrel. The overlap between the tubular liner and the already existing casing is sealed. The tubular liner is supported by overlap with the already existing casing. The mandrel is removed from the borehole. The integrity of the seal of the overlap between the tubular liner and the already existing casing is tested. At least a portion of the second quantity of the hardenable fluidic sealing material is removed from the interior of the tubular liner. The remaining portions of the fluidic hardenable fluidic sealing material are cured. At least a portion of cured fluidic hardenable sealing material within the tubular liner is removed.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for expanding a tubular member is provided that includes a support member, a mandrel, a tubular member, and a shoe. The support member includes a first fluid passage. The mandrel is coupled to the support member and includes a second fluid passage. The tubular member is coupled to the mandrel. The shoe is coupled to the tubular liner and includes a third fluid passage. The first, second and third fluid passages are operably coupled.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for expanding a tubular member is provided that includes a support member, an expandable mandrel, a tubular member, a shoe, and at least one sealing member. The support member includes a first fluid passage, a second fluid passage, and a flow control valve coupled to the first and second fluid passages. The expandable mandrel is coupled to the support member and includes a third fluid passage. The tubular member is coupled to the mandrel and includes one or more sealing elements. The shoe is coupled to the tubular member and includes a fourth fluid passage. The at least one sealing member is adapted to prevent the entry of foreign material into an interior region of the tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of joining a second tubular member to a first tubular member, the first tubular member having an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of the second tubular member, is provided that includes positioning a mandrel within an interior region of the second tubular member. A portion of an interior region of the second tubular member is pressurized and the second tubular member is extruded off of the mandrel into engagement with the first tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a tubular liner is provided that includes an annular member having one or more sealing members at an end portion of the annular member, and one or more pressure relief passages at an end portion of the annular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a wellbore casing is provided that includes a tubular liner and an annular body of a cured fluidic sealing material. The tubular liner is formed by the process of extruding the tubular liner off of a mandrel.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a tie-back liner for lining an existing wellbore casing is provided that includes a tubular liner and an annular body of cured fluidic sealing material. The tubular liner is formed by the process of extruding the tubular liner off of a mandrel. The annular body of a cured fluidic sealing material is coupled to the tubular liner.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for expanding a tubular member is provided that includes a support member, a mandrel, a tubular member and a shoe. The support member includes a first fluid passage. The mandrel is coupled to the support member. The mandrel includes a second fluid passage operably coupled to the first fluid passage, an interior portion, and an exterior portion. The interior portion of the mandrel is drillable. The tubular member is coupled to the mandrel. The shoe is coupled to the tubular member. The shoe includes a third fluid passage operably coupled to the second fluid passage, an interior portion, and an exterior portion. The interior portion of the shoe is drillable.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a wellhead is provided that includes an outer casing and a plurality of concentric inner casings coupled to the outer casing. Each inner casing is supported by contact pressure between an outer surface of the inner casing and an inner surface of the outer casing.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a wellhead is provided that include an outer casing at least partially positioned within a wellbore and a plurality of substantially concentric inner casings coupled to the interior surface of the outer casing. One or more of the inner casings are coupled to the outer casing by expanding one or more of the inner casings into contact with at least a portion of the interior surface of the outer casing.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a wellhead is provided that includes drilling a wellbore. An outer casing is positioned at least partially within an upper portion of the wellbore. A first tubular member is positioned within the outer casing. At least a portion of the first tubular member is expanded into contact with an interior surface of the outer casing. A second tubular member is positioned within the outer casing and the first tubular member. At least a portion of the second tubular member is expanded into contact with an interior portion of the outer casing.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes an outer tubular member, and a plurality of substantially concentric and overlapping inner tubular members coupled to the outer tubular member. Each inner tubular member is supported by contact pressure between an outer surface of the inner casing and an inner surface of the outer inner tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes an outer tubular member, and a plurality of substantially concentric inner tubular members coupled to the interior surface of the outer tubular member by the process of expanding one or more of the inner tubular members into contact with at least a portion of the interior surface of the outer tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a wellbore casing is provided that includes a first tubular member, and a second tubular member coupled to the first tubular member in an overlapping relationship. The inner diameter of the first tubular member is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the second tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a wellbore casing is provided that includes a tubular member including at least one thin wall section and a thick wall section, and a compressible annular member coupled to each thin wall section.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of creating a casing in a borehole located in a subterranean formation is provided that includes supporting a tubular liner and a mandrel in the borehole using a support member. A fluidic material is injected into the borehole. An interior region of the mandrel is pressurized. A portion of the mandrel is displaced relative to the support member. The tubular liner is expanded.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a wellbore casing is provided that includes a first tubular member having a first inside diameter, and a second tubular member having a second inside diameter substantially equal to the first inside diameter coupled to the first tubular member in an overlapping relationship. The first and second tubular members are coupled by the process of deforming a portion of the second tubular member into contact with a portion of the first tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for expanding a tubular member is provided that includes a support member including a fluid passage, a mandrel movably coupled to the support member including an expansion cone, at least one pressure chamber defined by and positioned between the support member and mandrel fluidicly coupled to the first fluid passage, and one or more releasable supports coupled to the support member adapted to support the tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes one or more solid tubular members, each solid tubular member including one or more external seals, one or more slotted tubular members coupled to the solid tubular members, and a shoe coupled to one of the slotted tubular members.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of joining a second tubular member to a first tubular member, the first tubular member having an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of the second tubular member is provided that includes positioning a mandrel within an interior region of the second tubular member. A portion of the interior region of the mandrel is pressurized. The mandrel is displaced relative to the second tubular member. At least a portion of the second tubular member is extruded off of the mandrel into engagement with the first tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes one or more primary solid tubulars, each primary solid tubular including one or more external annular seals, n slotted tubulars coupled to the primary solid tubulars, n-1 intermediate solid tubulars coupled to and interleaved among the slotted tubulars, each intermediate solid tubular including one or more external annular seals, and a shoe coupled to one of the slotted tubulars.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of isolating a first subterranean zone from a second subterranean zone in a wellbore is provided that includes positioning one or more primary solid tubulars within the wellbore, the primary solid tubulars traversing the first subterranean zone. One or more slotted tubulars are also positioned within the wellbore, the slotted tubulars traversing the second subterranean zone. The slotted tubulars and the solid tubulars are fluidicly coupled. The passage of fluids from the first subterranean zone to the second subterranean zone within the wellbore external to the solid and slotted tubulars is prevented.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of extracting materials from a producing subterranean zone in a wellbore, at least a portion of the wellbore including a casing, is provided that includes positioning one or more primary solid tubulars within the wellbore. The primary solid tubulars with the casing are fluidicly coupled. One or more slotted tubulars are positioned within the wellbore, the slotted tubulars traversing the producing subterranean zone. The slotted tubulars are fluidicly coupled with the solid tubulars. The producing subterranean zone is fluidicly isolated from at least one other subterranean zone within the wellbore. At least one of the slotted tubulars is fluidicly isolated from the producing subterranean zone.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of creating a casing in a borehole while also drilling the borehole is also provided that includes installing a tubular liner, a mandrel, and a drilling assembly in the borehole. A fluidic material is injected within the tubular liner, mandrel and drilling assembly. At least a portion of the tubular liner is radially expanded while the borehole is drilled using the drilling assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the injecting includes injecting the fluidic material within an expandible chamber.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is also provided that includes a support member, the support member including a first fluid passage; a mandrel coupled to the support member, the mandrel including: a second fluid passage; a tubular member coupled to the mandrel; and a shoe coupled to the tubular liner, the shoe including a third fluid passage; and a drilling assembly coupled to the shoe; wherein the first, second and third fluid passages and the drilling assembly are operably coupled.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming an underground pipeline within an underground tunnel including at least a first tubular member and a second tubular member, the first tubular member having an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of the second tubular member, is also provided that includes positioning the first tubular member within the tunnel; positioning the second tubular member within the tunnel in an overlapping relationship with the first tubular member; positioning a mandrel and a drilling assembly within an interior region of the second tubular member; injecting a fluidic material within the mandrel, drilling assembly and the second tubular member; extruding at least a portion of the second tubular member off of the mandrel into engagement with the first tubular member; and drilling the tunnel.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is also provided that includes a wellbore, the wellbore formed by the process of drilling the wellbore; and a tubular liner positioned within the wellbore, the tubular liner formed by the process of extruding the tubular liner off of a mandrel while drilling the wellbore. In a preferred embodiment, the tubular liner is formed by the process of: placing the tubular liner and mandrel within the wellbore; and pressurizing an interior portion of the tubular liner.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a wellbore casing in a wellbore is also provided that includes drilling out the wellbore while forming the wellbore casing.